18l5.j [ 147 ] 



PROCEEDINGS OF PUBLIC SOCIETIES. 



PHILANTHROPIC SOCIETIES. 



EEPORT of the COMMITTKE for invesH- 

 gaiing the c/i.vsEs of the l\ciii:ASE of 



JUVENILE DELINQUENCY ttl the ME- 

 TROPOLIS. 



Treasurer — Two. Funr.EY For'ster. 



Secreturia—VB'^EK Bedford, William 



Ckawforo. 



IT is now aljout twelve months since 

 the exertions of a few indivi<Itials 

 were directed to the investigalioii of the 

 cases of several boys, who had been con- 

 victed of capital offences. In prosecu- 

 ting" these inquiries, it was found that 

 Juvenile Delinquency existed in the me- 

 tropolis to a very aiarniiiig extent; that 

 a system was in aclion, by wliieh those 

 unfortunate lads were organized into 

 gangs; tlsat they resorted regularly to 

 houses, where they planned their enter- 

 prises, and afferwards divided the pro- 

 duce of their plunder. These facts hav- 

 ing been made known, a public nieeting 

 was convened, at which, after a due con- 

 sideration of the subject, a Society was 

 Ibrmed, the object of which was to ob- 

 tain every jjos-sible information respect- 

 ing the nature and causes of the evil in 

 (jtiestioi), in orrler to ascertain the most 

 efficient means of removing or diminish- 

 ing it. It was considered, that such an 

 association should not confine itself to 

 enquiry alone, but, that where relief 

 could, with propriety, be exttnided to 

 youths dis])osed to return into the paths 

 of virtue, every assistance should, in 

 such ciLses, be aEforded. 



Questions calculated to obtain the 

 necessary ini'ormation were framed. 

 The metropolis was divided into dis- 

 tricts, and sub-cominittces appointed 

 n-spectively. 



Inconformity with these arrangements, 

 the Society was rapidly put in motion. 

 A list of IJK) boys, the friends and asso- 

 ciates of youths confined in Newgate, 

 was soon oblained; these names were 

 divided among the visitors; reports wire 

 s|ieedily j)rodiiced and recorded in a 

 1( dger provided for that purpose. Fur- 

 tlier lists of associates have, from time to 

 time, been received from that prison 

 only, containing upwards of seven hnn- 

 dr'-d names. 



'J"he informalion wliieli has I)een ob- 

 laimd m:iy be generalized in the follow- 

 ing order; — 



Ist. Th'it, iilthoiin-h the jwlc^ment 

 uludi the Cummittre are eihle to form, re- 

 lutnn to the cxteiU ii/'juvciii/e ileiint/ui'iici/ 

 iHier>i iif'tJiuUi-, thmc U raauu tu bilieue, 



from their inqulrief, that there are Mine 

 thousands of hoi/s nitfler seventeen years 

 of age in the meiropn/is, loho are riailii 

 engaged in the eommission of erime. 



'indltj. That these hoys assoeinte with 

 professed thieres of m.iture age, ami with 

 g'j/s who su/isist bi/ prostitiUinH. 



Sdli/. That such characters frr/pieiii 

 honees of the most ii famous description, 

 uhere thej/ divide their phivder, uiul give 

 loose to every vicious propoisitif. 



4thh/. That the following appear to he 

 the principal causes of thete dreadful 

 practices : — 



The improper conduct ofpareiUs. 

 The ivant of education. 

 The want of snitahle einploi/ment. 

 The violation of the Sabbath, and habits 

 of gambling in the public streets. 



bthbj. That, in addition to these pri- 

 mary causes, there are auxiliaries which 

 powerfully eoiUribute to increase and per- 

 petuate the evil. These may be traced to, 

 and includtd Under, the three following 

 heads : — 



The severity of the criminal code. 

 The defective state of the police. 

 The existing syston of prison disci- 

 pline. 



The first circumstances, whicii are al- 

 lowed to operate in the formation of cha- 

 racter, flow from the exercise, or neg- 

 lect, of parental authority and love. It 

 is apprehended that, in the many cases 

 whieli have come before this Society, 

 the number of boys is very small, whose 

 original tciideiicies to do wrong have not 

 sprung from the improj)er conduct of 

 their parents. Trilling faults punished 

 with disproportionate severity — nndii« 

 indulgence, in permitting their cliikireu 

 to be absent tiom school — allow iiig thein 

 to attend fairs, and other ))lacesol indis- 

 criminate resort: — these are ollen th« 

 result rather of weakness, than of design. 

 J'ut, if the errors of parents have done 

 m;n:li, their vices have con1ribul«!d still 

 more, to eneoniage the criminal jjiopen- 

 sities of their children; and, as the de- 

 l)ravity o!' the ignorant seldom eon.'-ists 

 in the indnlgeiK^e of a single vicious 

 habit, the femptations to which their 

 families are exposed become multiplied. 

 In a innnber of instsnees it has been 

 foinid that children have been com- 

 pletely deserted: thus deslilnte, they 

 have re.sorle<l to dei)reda(iiiiis for {i live- 

 lihood. The Connexion betu'ceii indi- 

 gence and crime is necessarily frecpu'iit, 

 particidarly in lJi<<se cases in which tlie 

 Miind is unir.lbrined. (Jf late, th« snp- 

 I. :i jdy 



